Alexis de Tocqueville (1805 to 1859) was a French political thinker and historian whose Democracy in America (1835 to 1840), based on his 1831 tour of the United States, examined how democratic societies could preserve individual liberty against the leveling pressures of equality. He argued that Americans' constant recourse to voluntary associations, formed for purposes commercial, religious, educational, and civic, was democracy's essential counterweight to isolating individualism, binding citizens to a shared public life larger than private self-interest.
Facts
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account Death DateSourced to the subject's own account Death YearSourced to the subject's own account Classification
Political RoleMinister of Foreign Affairs 1 GenderSourced to the subject's own account FAQs
How did Tocqueville think the dangers of individualism could be averted?
Through the formation of civic associations.
Tocqueville warned against the dangers of individualism in democratic society. He held that these dangers could only be averted through the formation of civic associations.
Connections
Advocated
Tocqueville's Democracy in America (1835 to 1840) supplied the concept's most influential empirical account, describing Americans' constant recourse to voluntary associations as democracy's master skill.
Source Alexis de Tocqueville (New World Encyclopedia)
Associated With
This source names United States directly: "1840), based on his 1831 tour of the United States, examined how democratic societies could preserve individual liberty against the leveling pressures of equality."
Source Alexis de Tocqueville (New World Encyclopedia)
Sources
1. Alexis de Tocqueville (Wikipedia)
2. Alexis de Tocqueville (New World Encyclopedia)
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